Many map applications provide the ability to give directions. Examples of map applications include web-based map applications (e.g., Live Search Maps, Google Maps, MapQuest, etc.) and navigation devices. Typically, these map applications give directions in the form of lists of intersections at which a user is to change direction. For example, directions might say, “Proceed for 1.5 miles, and then turn right on Main Street.” Map applications typically provide text (or spoken) directions, along with a map of the intersection at which the change of direction is to take place. For example, when the directions call for a turn at the intersection of Main Street and Elm Street, an automobile navigation device may display a map of that intersection near the time when the user is approaching the turn.
Directions provided by map applications are sometime difficult to follow. Maps are schematic representations of roads, and some people are not adept at relating these abstractions to an actual road. Moreover, sometimes the map displayed by the application does not correspond well with the actual road that the application is trying to show. For example, some highway intersections, or street crossings at oblique angles, may not appear in real life as they do on a map. Additionally, in some areas street signs are not easily visible, and the building-numbering scheme may be unclear or inconsistent, which also can make directions difficult to follow.